The blaze that changed a Nation
In less than 30 minutes, the worst workplace accident for the next 90 years happened in the triangle factory. On March 25th, 1911, around 4:45, a blaze began on the 8th floor when a worker dropped a cigarette in a pile of fabric. Spreading quickly the fire engulfed pile after pile of tulle and cotton. Only 15 minutes before the end of the work day, terrified workers had begun to grab their coats. Women began screaming and crying of fire, and the panic began. A door swung open after frantic workers grappled for escape, and many rushed down the stairs. Others scrambled down the flimsy fire escape to find themselves only to the sixth floor, later saved by firefighters. One worker rushed to the switchboard, to warn the floors above. The only way to reach the ninth floor was to be connected by the tenth, but at the first breathe of fire the tenth floor worker abandoned the phone looking for help, unknowingly cutting off the survival of many women.
The first warning of fire the ninth floor got was the fire itself. Panic began for the roughly 250 workers on the floor. Their time was dwindling even from the second of warning, and their were only three escape routes. Because the Washington street door was locked to prevent thievery, women flocked to the Greene Street door, only to find out they had to fight through a wall of flames to make it to the roof, which many did. The elevator made trips up to the ninth floor repeatedly until the heat warped the cables and the amount of bodies that had jumped onto the elevator had weighed it down. The last escape route for the woman was the fire escape, only wide enough in girth for one woman at a time. Dozens of frightened workers flocked to it, rushing down it. Seconds later the flimsy metal ripped away, ripping from the wall and dumping twenty girls to their deaths on the ground, or impaled on the fence below. Minutes later the escape routes were all gone, the girls had nothing left to do.... but jump.
Woman pushed to the window, holding onto the hope that they could be rescued. But they knew that death was coming. On the ground bystanders thought flaming cloths were being thrown to the ground, until the heavy thud, they didn't know the horrible truth. The workers stood on the ledge and began slowly at first falling one by one, with the frantic crowd screaming for them to not jump. The first few women caught in the safety nets died later of internal injuries after a nine story fall, but as panic raised and hope disappeared flaming women jumped into the nets two or three at a time, ripping through the fabric and some crashing even through the concrete. Holding hands they leaped, closing their eyes, and trying to remain upright until they hit the ground. Women began falling to the ground like flaming rain. Terrified woman with fire lapping at their backs jumped, the crowd at this time could do nothing but watch. As the final woman jumped in a grotesque display, she was caught on a pole, her dress on fire until it burned away, dropping her to the ground.
The first warning of fire the ninth floor got was the fire itself. Panic began for the roughly 250 workers on the floor. Their time was dwindling even from the second of warning, and their were only three escape routes. Because the Washington street door was locked to prevent thievery, women flocked to the Greene Street door, only to find out they had to fight through a wall of flames to make it to the roof, which many did. The elevator made trips up to the ninth floor repeatedly until the heat warped the cables and the amount of bodies that had jumped onto the elevator had weighed it down. The last escape route for the woman was the fire escape, only wide enough in girth for one woman at a time. Dozens of frightened workers flocked to it, rushing down it. Seconds later the flimsy metal ripped away, ripping from the wall and dumping twenty girls to their deaths on the ground, or impaled on the fence below. Minutes later the escape routes were all gone, the girls had nothing left to do.... but jump.
Woman pushed to the window, holding onto the hope that they could be rescued. But they knew that death was coming. On the ground bystanders thought flaming cloths were being thrown to the ground, until the heavy thud, they didn't know the horrible truth. The workers stood on the ledge and began slowly at first falling one by one, with the frantic crowd screaming for them to not jump. The first few women caught in the safety nets died later of internal injuries after a nine story fall, but as panic raised and hope disappeared flaming women jumped into the nets two or three at a time, ripping through the fabric and some crashing even through the concrete. Holding hands they leaped, closing their eyes, and trying to remain upright until they hit the ground. Women began falling to the ground like flaming rain. Terrified woman with fire lapping at their backs jumped, the crowd at this time could do nothing but watch. As the final woman jumped in a grotesque display, she was caught on a pole, her dress on fire until it burned away, dropping her to the ground.